The Role of Proximity in Transformational Development: The Case of Resource-Based Cities in China

Abstract

Proactive integration into the national city network and the improvement of the level of openness to the outside world is important for the new period to promote the high-quality transformational development of resource-based cities. Based on the gravity model and social network analysis methods, the role of geographical proximity and network proximity (non-spatial proximity) in the high-quality transformation of resource-based cities is systematically analyzed. The impact of geographic proximity, network proximity, and their interactions on the transformation of resource-based cities was also empirically tested by constructing an econometric model. It is found that: (1) The cities with the highest gravitational values and gravitational values among the neighbouring cities of resource-based cities did not change significantly from 2001 to 2019, and cities with better transformation are mostly dominated by RBC-non–RBC combinations, with the gravitational values of neighbouring cities at the middle level. (2) The hierarchy of resource-based cities in both the national organizational network and investment network increased significantly during 2001–2019, but the difference is that the organizational network is centered on Beijing. (3) While there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between geographical proximity and transformation in resource-based cities, there is a linear positive relationship between network investment proximity and transformation. However, there is a substitution and complementary effect between the two, and they work together to promote the high-quality transformation of resource-based cities.